The Moons of Azuna
by Ashamane15
Summary: The paladins are going home! Well, that is, until something goes wrong when investigating a crashed ship on a mysterious forested planet... Some spoilers for season 6. You've been warned! Rated T for a little bit of cussing and because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Okay, Season six absolutely destroyed me... I'm not gonna lie, I loved it with all my heart, but DAMN! I would totally rant for hours on end about it, but I'll leave it here for my own sanity's sake. This story takes place post-S6 while the paladins and their new friends are making their way home. (Side note, I'm so happy for them! Lance and Hunk are going to see their families! Pidge is gonna see her mom and dad again! Ahh! So happy!) They still stop and help when they get distress calls because that's what paladins do! Normally, they're fine, but where's the fun in writing something like that? No, there's some bumps on this rollercoaster... *Smiles evilly* Let's begin, shall we?

The sacrifice of the Castle of Lions left the five lions to fend for themselves on their journey home. For the most part, the trip was quiet. At one point, Coran set up his Monsters and Mana board on the floor of the Blue Lion, and everyone played through the comms. Thankfully, Shiro chose something other than a paladin this time. Even Krolia got into the tabletop game, though her character was a little unimaginative. Since everything they had was stuffed into the lions, the paladins were forced to travel slowly. They stopped often for meals and distress calls, but all of the calls were simple problems that were fixed quickly and easily. Well, almost all of them...

Suddenly, a signal lit up the cockpits of all five lions, startling the paladins and the passengers. The coordinates pointed them to a forested planet nearby. It looked a lot like Earth, except completely covered in trees "Just another broken-down ship…" Pidge muttered.

"Who's turn is it now?" Lance said with a sigh.

"Yours, Lance." The red paladin groaned at Pidge's flat reply but approached the green-covered planet anyway. A ship had carved a path through the trees, an ugly scar that cut through and ruined the otherwise flawless forest. Lance circled the wreck before hailing the ship.

"Calling damaged ship. Is anyone there?" No response came from the wreckage below. Cautiously, Lance brought the Red Lion closer. He landed in an open patch that was just large enough for his Lion.

"Lance, what's going on?" Hunk asked. "Why did you land your Lion?"

"No one answered when I hailed, so I'm going in to take a closer look."

"Be careful," Allura insisted.

"Nothing's going to happen, guys!" Lance laughed. He pulled his helmet off and inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of the woods and thinking of home. A nostalgic smile crawled onto his face as he came toward the crashed ship, helmet under his arm. He pried open the door with a grunt and heard a discouraging thunk from inside. Lance's heart dropped as he heard a hiss, then the awfully familiar sound of a fire starting.

"Oh, fuck..." he said as an explosion rocked the forest. With sickening clarity, Lance felt the concussive blast. He felt the air leaving his lungs, and the hard dirt he landed on, and the trees shaking all around him.

"Lance!" he heard faintly. His helmet, blown away from him, was broadcasting Pidge's voice, along with the worry it carried. "Lance, what happened?!" He groaned as the pain spread slowly, starting at his back then moving across his entire body. A sharp, searing pain in his stomach alerted him to a nasty cut he'd gained. He heard a loud, animal-like, and clearly agitated noise from the trees, but he couldn't place its source It was like nothing he'd heard before. Blood rushed to his ears as darkness gnawed at his consciousness, and since the explosion had stolen his strength, he gave in. The forest melted into blackness. Just before he fell into unconsciousness, the roaring stopped and a strange shadow passed over him. Melodic sounds that could have been words floated into his damaged eardrums as the shadow carefully moved him into the trees.

"Lance, we're coming to get you!" shouted Keith. Lance didn't hear it. The four remaining Lions all rushed to the planet's surface. The Red Lion seemed unfazed by the flaming wreckage at her feet, but the paladins couldn't worry more. Everyone jumped out of the Lions and began searching the debris.

"Lance, where are you?!" Pidge yelled.

"Uhh… Guys?" Hunk called. "You should see this…" Keith, Allura, and Pidge rushed over to him. He turned to the other three with Lance's blue helmet in his shaking hands. A long, vicious crack ran down the visor. Suddenly, the air around them seemed heavy. Hunk bit back tears, but he couldn't tear his eyes from the helmet in his arms.

"God damn it..." Pidge choked out with a cough. Her knees threatened to give out as she thought of the damage to the sturdy helmet and what that may mean for her friend. Allura looked like she was going to vomit. Keith stared blankly at the sunrise as they all realized the same thing. A new day was beginning... and their red paladin was gone.

A/N:

Please let me know if you want me to continue this story! I can't guarantee when the next chapters will come out, so please stay tuned to see what happens! I'd love some feedback on this and ideas for other stories are always welcome!

P.S. I really want to include Keith's new wolf (In my mind, it's a girl) in the story, but I can't decide on a name and I don't want to keep saying 'the wolf' over and over. I was thinking something like Nova? Maybe Comet? I don't know, so help!

Until next time...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

This chapter's basically just introducing you to an important character, and adding some backstory and worldbuilding, but I promise this will all be important later. Just bear with me for now. I still need names for Keith's wolf friend, so please leave some suggestions. I'd really appreciate it! Anyways, chapter two, let's go!

* * *

The inhabitants of planet Azuna were a secretive people. They kept to their forest homes and rarely traded with the 'star-men' as they called interstellar travelers. Many people in their society had never even seen a foreign being. Most of the Azunan people were farmers, growing food for their village and cultivating the rare flowers, universal symbols of love, that the planet was famous for. Others were warriors that guarded their villages. A select few, believed to be blessed by the goddess Anaea, possessed potent healing powers. These healers were revered above all except the village leaders. One of these healers, a young female named Sirae, wanted nothing to do with her God-given powers. She wanted to be a warrior and fight alongside her older brother, Rynn. Instead, she was paraded around the village by her parents and forced to listen to the whispered rumors about her.

She hated it. She wished she could walk through town without drawing the attention of everyone else. Whenever she could, she stayed home or with her brother. He taught her everything he knew about fighting, archery, and all of the other skills he learned as a warrior. Every quintant for three decaphoebs, she and Rynn worked together, training and crafting a bow for her to use. He always said that she had a natural talent for hunting. She developed great prowess in stealth and excellent skill with a bow. She remembered her brother's proud smile every night.

But she would never see that smile again. While protecting their village from a raging Scalehide, Rynn sustained fatal injuries and died in the forests. The village mourned him and praised him, but Sirae became increasingly distant and rarely spoke to anyone. Of course, she still performed her duties and attended her healer training, but the light in her eyes was killed by the same Scalehide that took her older brother's life.

Secretly, she began to make nightly excursions with her weapon in hand. She never needed the bow, but she always brought it and the memories it held in its wooden frame. Under the cover of darkness, she would scale the largest trees in the forest to get closer to the night sky. She loved to look at the stars and the two moons of Azuna more than anything. At the same time, they were calming and exciting, beautiful and mysterious, far away and close by. Being up above the canopy, alone with the stars, her bow, and the memories of her happy childhood, it made her feel less… alone.

Sirae gathered scraps of wood during her midnight trips. It took many late nights of work, but her project began to resemble an instrument that the star-men used. She couldn't remember what they called it, but the hollow body and thin strings made wonderful sounds.

Tonight was special. Both of the moons were full for the first time in ten decaphoebs. They cast their silver glow over the treetops and the silence beneath them. Sirae stared into the moons like they were the two glowing eyes of the goddess. Sadly, she remembered the last time she looked at the full moons with her brother.

* * *

" _You know," Rynn said, breaking the silence between them. "There are old legends that say the moons are really the two silver eyes of Anaea." Sirae looked at him incredulously with her own silver eyes, the tell-tale marks of a god-blessed healer._

" _I already know all of these stories!" the ten-year-old whined._

" _Well, did they tell you that healers are all born on nights like this?" He smirked at her annoyed expression. "Every ten decaphoebs, the two moons are full on the same night, and on that special night, a healer is born."_

" _Just like me, yeah, I know. Mom tells me all the time…" She sighed as she turned her eyes back to the stars. "I don't want to be a healer," she whispered._

" _I know Sirae, but you're the only healer our village has. There's a lot of weight on your shoulders."_

" _I know, and I don't want it!" She buried her face in her knees, releasing a heavy tear. "I don't like how many people count on me… I don't want to let anybody down."_

" _I know, little starflower." Sirae smiled sadly at her childhood nickname. "And I also know you won't let anyone down."_

" _You don't know that…" Rynn laughed at that._

" _Of course I do!" He placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're my little sister, Sirae. You never let anyone down and you never will, even if I have to make sure of it."_

" _You… you would really do that?"_

" _You're my starflower," he said, pulling her chin from her knees. Sirae looked deep into his kind golden eyes. He smiled, then made his silly face that always made her laugh. "I would do anything to keep a smile on your face."_

" _You're weird, Rynn." Brother and sister started laughing._

" _Well, so are you, Sirae." The two sat in their tree for a while before Sirae spoke again. "It's late. Don't you have training tomorrow morning?" Rynn loosed a hollow, quick laugh._

" _I guess I do…" he said, smiling. "We should probably get some sleep."_

" _Yeah." Sirae stood, hugged her brother, then headed inside behind him. "Goodnight, Rynn," she whispered._

" _Goodnight, starflower."_

* * *

The moons glowed silver over her head, just like they had ten years before. "Why…" she whispered to the sky. "Why did you choose me? I do not wish to wield your power. I wish to explore, to fight and protect my family like Rynn did… I want to hear his voice again. I want him to call me his starflower. I want to see him again." She grew silent for a moment. "Why did he have to die?" she whispered as though Anaea could hear her. The moons, in all their ancient glory and wisdom, answered her with only silence. A tear dripped down her cheek, glowing silver just like the moons above. "What is my purpose? What do I do now that my brother is gone?"

That question, the sky did answer, albeit in its own odd way. A spacecraft hurtled down from the sky, little more than a ball of fire as it crashed into the planet's surface. Sirae gasped at the destruction it brought, watching it tear into the forest that she called home. Luckily, the flames didn't spread to the trees. The two moons were already setting. Sirae wondered if she should leave it alone, but in the end, her curiosity got the better of her. The crash was in the opposite direction of her village, and she knew it may take many vargas to return. Still, she set out to see the crash.

Cautiously and quietly, she climbed down through the tree's massive branches, then landed softly on the forest floor. Sirae slunk through the underbrush, careful not to disturb any of the particularly irritable wildlife. As she neared the downed starship, a loud noise echoed through the forest, causing her to crouch low to the ground and wait, listening for any pressing threats. She heard nothing a first, and then words drifted to her ears. Since she was too far away, she couldn't understand the words, but the tone of the stranger's voice was different and exciting. Sirae had never heard anything like it. In an odd way, it reminded her of Rynn…

She crept closer to the wreck, careful to avoid catching the attention of the foreign being. From a distance, she watched what she guessed was a star-man. It was shorter than she was, and she wasn't even the tallest Azunan she knew. She wondered if it was just short for its species, or if it was only a child. It laughed, a happy, amused sound that sparked a curious thought in Sirae's mind. Then she saw it take off its blue head-cover, revealing short brown hair and tan brown skin. Sirae was immediately fascinated by how different it looked. Nothing on her planet looked anything like the newcomer. She wanted to know everything about the first outsider she'd ever seen. It pulled on the door of the wreck but quickly became scared of something. In a moment, Sirae knew exactly what.

The ship turned into a massive fireball with a sound so loud that only a scalehide's cry could rival its volume. Sirae watched the star-man get thrown back by an invisible force, then lie on the ground, moving slowly and painfully. A metallic tang filled the area, a smell so close to blood that Sirae assumed it belonged to the injured outsider. Apparently, she wasn't the only one that smelled it. The cry of a shadowclaw rang through the air, then the cry's owner stalked out from the forest's shadows. It's dark hair, the same color as Sirae's own, gave the illusion that the beast was darkness itself. Without thinking, Sirae pulled a handmade arrow from her pouch, pulled it back with her bowstring, and lodged it in the shadowclaw's chest. A perfect kill-shot. Excitement rushed through her as she sprinted to the fallen star-man.

"Do not worry," she whispered to it. "I will not harm you." It seemed to react to her presence but quickly fell into unconsciousness. Sirae scanned the outsider from top to bottom, noting the strange hard clothes it wore and the soft spots covered by a black fabric unlike any she knew of. A long, red, bloody cut was carved into its stomach, staining the black cloth an ugly red color. Quickly, she pulled bandages from her pack, wrapping the injury enough to protect it before she could actually treat it. "You will be okay. I will not let you down."

Careful not to aggravate the wound further, she gathered the star-man's limp body into her arms and rushed through the forest, making it back to her village just as the sun rose over the four other outsiders that were scouring the crash.

* * *

 **A/N:**

So there you have it, chapter 2. Please let me know what you think of the story so far. I really want your input to make this story as good as I can. And remember, I need a name for the wolf!

Until next time...


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

I'm sorry it took this long to update, I've just been going through some shit recently. I won't burden you with my personal problems. (That rant would be longer than this chapter…) Instead, I give you… (Drumroll) Chapter 3!

* * *

Hours had passed since sunrise, and the paladins still scoured the forest for any sign of Lance. Hours upon hours of fruitless searching, but the kindhearted Cuban had seemingly vanished. One by one, the remaining paladins gave up the search. Hunk and Pidge were first, leaving to make a few repairs to their Lions and the supplies. Shiro, in his weakened state, had to stop next. The three Alteans and Krolia were last. Eventually, Keith was the last one looking. It took him about an hour to realize this, though. He fought his way through the jungle back to the makeshift camp.

"What are you doing?" he asked, frustrated. "We have to keep looking. Lance has to be out there!"

"Keith, we've been looking for hours," Shiro countered calmly. He stood and slowly approached Keith. "We were going to need a break eventually…"

"And I wasn't lying about those repairs!" Pidge cried from far above. Startled, Keith looked up to where she hung. The glowing green cord of her bayard was wrapped around her foot, suspending her near the Green Lion's chest. "Green's been bugging me about some faulty wiring for days!" she yelled as she fixed a panel back into place.

"Sure, that's great and all, but what about Lance?!"

"Keith," Shiro said firmly. "As much as I hate saying this, we have to realize that Lance…" Shiro sucked in a shuddering breath, bracing himself for what he was about to say. "Lance might be-"

"No!" Keith shouted suddenly. "He's not dead! He can't be dead!" Shiro tried to place a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder, but the half-Galran shrugged it off. "Do you want to tell his family that he survived a space war just to die on some random planet on the way home?! I sure as shit don't!" Keith stormed off toward the Black Lion.

While the two argued, Pidge had lowered herself to the ground and quietly approached Hunk. "Keith's never gotten this riled up before…" he whispered as she neared.

"That's not true. Remember when Lance woke up after his first trip to the healing pods? When we told him about the whole Sendak thing?"

"The bonding moment…" Hunk's eyes widened in realization. "You don't think…"

"Oh, I've thought since day one." Pidge walked off to finish more repair work.

* * *

Keith collapsed into the pilot's seat of the Black Lion. He pulled Lance's jacket, stolen from the Red Lion before the search began, from the back of his chair. The green fabric made him feel as empty as the jacket itself.

"Happy Birthday, Lance…" he whispered to the empty air. Suddenly, he heard a familiar pop, then a cold nose poked his side. "Oh… It's you." His cosmic wolf always seemed to know when she was needed. "I don't suppose you know where he is…" In response, the wolf sniffed Lance's jacket, then left the cockpit.

"Why didn't I think of it before!" Keith cried, a new spark of hope glimmering in his violet eyes. He threw the jacket over his shoulders, then followed his wolf back into the forest, barely hearing the shouts of the others.

"Keith!" Pidge shouted. "Stop for two seconds!" She began to run after him, and his mother followed suit.

"I'm gonna find him!" Keith yelled in response. "Whatever it takes, I'll find him!"

"Then I'm going with you," she said, quickly catching up to the older, taller boy.

"And so am I," Krolia announced behind the green paladin.

"Yeah. If you're going to get lost in an alien forest, I wanna be there, too." A genuine smile tugged at Keith's lips for the first time since the sun rose.

"Then let's get lost in an alien forest."

"And find Lance," she added, a little too slyly for Keith's comfort.

"Yeah, sure, that too…" She shot him a glance, a glance that almost said _I know._

* * *

 **A/N:**

Again, I'm sorry this took so long, and I'm sorry it's so short. Writer's block's a bitch… I wrote this all in a day (Lance's birthday! I'm so proud of my blue boy!) The next chapter's gonna take a while, but I'll try to get it out as soon as I can.

Until next time…

 _-Ash_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

*Looks at calendar* It's September. Well… Shit.

I meant to get this chapter out sooner, right after season 7, actually (I'm not gonna rant, but I liked it). I finally broke through writer's block, got some great ideas for another project I'm working on, wrote a lot of this chapter and some of another, and then August 14th rolled around… For anyone wondering, I spent the last two and a half weeks buried in World of Warcraft's new expansion for up to 18 hours a day. I went four days with no human interaction except the occasional text. No regrets… Anyway, on with the chapter!

" _Speech in italics means they're speaking Altean."_

* * *

Pain. That was the first thing to break through the darkness. Dull, aching pain all over his body. Stabbing pain in his gut and his right leg. Pounding pain in his head. For what seemed like a long time, only pain existed. Slowly, the world around him came to his attention. Softness at his back. Something tight around his stomach and his leg. A cool heaviness that weighed on his forehead. Then other, smaller things became noticeable. A sweet, floral smell on a cool breeze. The quiet shifting of leaves in the wind. It all reminded him of camping with his family and sleeping in the woods. It was almost like he was back home… He even heard a soft humming, just like his mother would lull him and his siblings to sleep. All of the happy memories came to a sudden halt as a realization hit him.

He wasn't on Earth.

He was in space.

He was a paladin of Voltron.

And he had no idea where he was.

His eyes flew open and his breaths became panicked. He shot up, but the quick movement sent a wave of searing pain through his injured body. Instinctually, he loosed a strangled cry and his hands flew to the bandaged gash on his abdomen.

Just then, a strange creature appeared before him. It spoke, but he was too panicked to understand its words. He swung his arms in a feeble attempt to defend himself, but his wrists were caught effortlessly by long, slender fingers. "Let me go!" he croaked, his voice still hoarse. His gaze locked onto eyes of pure silver. They seemed to radiate calmness.

Then the voice began to sing. It wasn't a song he was familiar with, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The melody was slow and delicate, and it effortlessly relieved him of his fear and anxiety. His breathing slowed and the panic faded. Slowly, his surroundings came into focus.

He was in a simple room, nothing more than a bed, a single window, and a door. Both the window and the doorway were covered by a cloth, darkening the room. The silver-eyed alien released his arms but stayed close enough to study him.

That was when he got his first good look at her. Long, black hair framed her face, falling well past her shoulders. At first glance, she seemed to have tawny skin, but in truth, her body was covered in short, soft fur. She looked like an odd mix between a human and a cat. The tension broke, leaving the room in a strange, uncomfortable silence. All at once, the adrenaline in his system began to fade, and he was reminded of the echoing pain throughout his body.

He groaned, hands moving on their own to the wound in his side. The cat-like woman rushed to his side and gently helped him lay back.

" _Please, stay still. You are badly injured,"_ she said. He gasped.

She was speaking _Altean_.

" _Who are you?"_ he rasped, suddenly glad for the Altean lessons that Allura had been giving them. She seemed just as surprised that he knew the language.

" _You truly are a star-man…"_ she whispered, kneeling down beside the bed. " _We thought you all had vanished."_

" _What do you mean?"_ He turned his head toward her but instantly regretted it. The tiny movement sparked a massive headache and a wave of nausea. He definitely had a concussion.

" _Stories from long ago tell of the star-men that came down from the sky to trade with us, but none of them have been seen for thousands of deca-phoebs. They taught our ancestors their language and we still speak it in honor of them."_ He noticed the look of wonder in her eyes.

" _Oh…"_ Lance muttered, the pieces fitting together in his head. " _I understand."_ She looked at him, clearly confused. " _The people that you call 'star-men' were actually called Alteans. Their planet was destroyed a very long time ago, and they nearly went extinct."_

" _But you are a star-man, are you not?"_ she asked. " _You came from the sky, just like the old stories…"_

" _Well, yes and no…"_ Lance started. " _I did come from space, but I'm not actually Altean. I'm a human."_

" _Then how do you speak like the star-men of old?"_ the alien woman asked, still confused. " _If their world was destroyed, then how did you learn their tongue?"_

" _Not all the Alteans died back then. Two of my friends slept for ten thousand deca-phoebs, and they taught us their language."_

" _You know real star-men?!"_ she asked with obvious excitement in her voice.

" _I could introduce you to them if you want."_

" _But you cannot walk. Your leg is broken."_ Lance gingerly used his elbows to push himself up, just enough to see his legs. Sure enough, his right leg was held straight by a splint. She watched him carefully, and after a moment, she continued to speak. " _It could have been much worse, but your hard clothes protected you and kept the bones in place. I believe I can fix it, though."_

" _Wait, you can fix my leg?"_ Lance gaped at her.

" _I was born with healing abilities given by the goddess Anaea. I have already started to heal the wound in your side. You also have mild head trauma."_

" _I know what a concussion feels like… This isn't my first explosion, after all,"_ Lance said with a dark chuckle. " _At least I woke up sooner this time…"_

" _This isn't the first time you were injured in an explosion?"_ she asked, bewildered. " _Who are you, exactly? What was the first time?"_

" _My name is Lance, and I'm a paladin of Voltron."_ Her silver eyes flew wide at his title.

" _Voltron?! The Lion Warriors are here?"_ Lance nodded and raised a hand, wiping the black soot from his chest plate to reveal the blue V-shape there.

" _I don't know where the others are, but yes."_

" _The legends are true! I must tell the council! We must celebrate your arrival!"_ She shot to her feet, making Lance laugh. He was immediately reminded of the bleeding wound that threatened his life.

" _Can you stop my side from bleeding first?"_ His words seemed to snap her back to reality, and she rushed back to his side.

" _I am sorry, I had forgotten for a moment! Keeping you from bleeding out is more important than a party..."_ she said, undoing the bandage and gently pressing a glowing palm to the cut in his side. For a moment, Lance felt a sharp pain, but a cool, soothing feeling washed over the entire area. The cool feeling made him drowsy. She was like a living healing pod…

" _What's your name?"_ Lance asked without thinking. " _I told you who I am, so it's only fair."_

She seemed momentarily startled by the question, but smiled. " _I am Sirae,"_ she answered. " _Now sleep. Save your energy."_ He gave a small nod, his eyes already drifting shut.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Yes, he is still alive! He should be fine... eventually. *Evil, knowing grin*

I'll try to get the next chapter out within the next couple of weeks, but, you know… school n' shit… so no promises. Thank you to anyone who's stuck around long enough and dealt with the long stretches between updates. I do plan on finishing this story, but when… I don't know.

Until next time...

 _-Ash_


End file.
